


Festival

by dragontattoo75



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Male Slash, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 12:59:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragontattoo75/pseuds/dragontattoo75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only thing stopping me from enjoying my summer fully, was the thought of the one I let slip through my fingers the first week. Originally posted on FFn Sept - Nov -11</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much M-alice Slashlover for pre-reading and Sue273 for betaing. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

This summer has been almost perfect, and I've hot memories to think about in the long, cold winter to come.

The only thing stopping me from enjoying my summer fully, is the thought of the one I let slip through my fingers. Everywhere I've been, at the beach, on boat trips, shopping, he's been on my mind. Several times, I thought I caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye, but it has never been him. Unwillingly, I have concluded that he's not from around here, but was most likely visiting the night we met.

There is nothing I can do about it now. I've realized he'll just be my favorite memory from the summer, slowly fading. Tomorrow is my first day at work and I'll finally make use of everything I've learned and worked hard for for a long time.

After finishing my masters in history this spring, I moved back to my hometown like I have always wanted to do. This is where my family lives and several of my childhood friends have already moved back and settled down after studying all over the country.

I've bought an apartment about ten minutes walking distance from my new job at the local high school. The apartment is small, but big enough for Edward, me, and our needs. The only drawback was that the former owners were not going to move out before early autumn, which left me without a roof over my head for the summer. I didn't want to move into my old room at my parents' house as my mother had made it into her sewing room.

At the last moment, I got a tip from my friend Bella about a small cottage I might rent. I knew immediately I'd been very lucky when I found the place. It was a small, white, wooden cottage with a green front door and white picket fence. Right at the end of the luscious garden smelling of blooming fruit trees, following a winding path paved with slates of granite, the most spectacular beach I have ever seen revealed itself.

From the small window in my cottage, a little house in the big garden, I've had the most beautiful view in the world. In the morning, I've woken up to cries from seagulls and lapping of waves and at night, I've been lulled to sleep by the smell of salt and sea.

The owners of the property, an old married couple approaching their eighties, have lived here forever. They never had children of their own, but Bella told me that she and other kids from Carlisle and Esme's neighborhood, always had been close to the couple, as they always had open doors and homemade cookies.

Unfortunately, Carlisle slipped on the ice this winter and fractured his hipbone, and since then he hasn't been able to drive a car or take care of the garden like he always has. They're sensible people, and even though it's difficult for them to sell their home, they have bought an apartment with everything on a single floor with a grocery store, pharmacy and doctor in walking distance.

This summer, I've had free bed and breakfast as I've kept the garden and the facade of the house in order until they sold the house. They wanted to sell not only for the right price, but also to the right family. Two weeks ago, they got the right offer, and they were happy to sell it to a family with two children wanting to live in the house and not only use it as a summer home.

To me it's only been a pleasure to do the various tasks Carlisle has given me, and I've also done other things I could see for myself needed to be fixed. Edward has been very happy in our summer home, too. Every morning, we've gone for long walks at the beach, Edward chasing seagulls and swimming after sticks I throw into the sea.

Evenings I've often spent playing cards with Carlisle and Esme, or we've been sitting at the front porch sipping sweet homemade plum wine while they've told me old stories, or I've given them a glimpse into my interest in history.

One night, as I mentioned I played guitar as a hobby, Esme became especially interested. She led me into their sitting room where an old, but well kept piano was placed. Since then, I've often had my guitar with me and we've been playing old hits from the fifties and sixties together.

We've enjoyed each other’s company, and I've promised to keep in touch after moving. I offered to help them move, but they had already booked a moving agency. They've given me some of the furniture they won't have room for in their apartment. The flat I rented while I studied was furnished, so I'm very happy to make use of everything they wouldn't need. However, Esme has decided to keep her piano. Even though her fingers are stiffer than when she was younger, it doesn't take much warming up before she plays like she used to.

I've always been interested in music, but I realized early in my education that I wasn't good enough to make a career out of it. My choice then fell on history, and I've been content with my choice. My work as a teacher will give me long summer holidays, and that suits me perfectly. In past years, I've spent a few weeks every summer working as a volunteer at festivals. I've had different part time jobs through the years, but summers I've spent on unpaid work.

To me it's not a job, but a nice way to keep the local culture alive, help keep ticket prices low and to meet new people as interested in music or history as I am. Mostly I've been working at the same festivals every year, a renaissance fair and a big music festival in my hometown being my favorites.

Some of my old friends, Sam, Jacob and Alec, were those who initiated the music festival several years ago and they still run it. We were in the same music scene growing up and sometimes playing in bands together, but they stayed in our hometown to develop the festival when most of our other friends moved away.

Last year, I developed a problem with Alec, and I wasn't quite sure if he would let me work as a volunteer this year. Since we were teenagers and he found out that I also was gay, he has constantly been hitting on me. I've always told him I wasn't interested, but last year he wouldn't listen and it became quite uncomfortable when in the end we had a big quarrel in front of his friends.

Luckily, he hasn't mentioned one word about the episode, and I have to choose exactly which shifts I wanted.

The summer weather varies in this state. It has a fair amount of rain, but also a lot of sun and the weather conditions at the weekend of the festival have a lot of influence on how successful it is.

The first two days I was working as backstage crew at Stage 1, the main stage, helping bands on and off stage with their equipment.

The first day I had chosen the early shift, and was off all night to see shows I wanted, but it rained heavily, so I went home early. I was a little worried that it would be muddy the second day, but luckily, the turf reinforcement mesh they had put on the ground worked perfectly. Walking around in bright sunshine, I enjoyed a couple of beers and some music.

That night I got the opportunity to meet one of my favorite bands backstage. Over the years, I've collected many autographs and pictures of myself with famous musicians. Quite often I am hit on by someone in the band or the crew, but I'm very fussy with whom I'm with and rarely have one night stands.

I came early for my morning shift the last day. There was a clear blue sky and this year could easily become one of the most successful years of the festival. I was working at the main bar and had a great view of Stage 1. I could talk to customers and my co-workers as I enjoyed the show. The early shift at the bar is great, as people haven't had the time to get drunk yet and queues are short.

I worked with a woman named Alice. She was so tiny, she almost didn't manage to serve at the bar, but she refused my offer to get her a box to stand on to get a better view of the band, as it would be inconvenient for her to get up and down in a hurry to get what her customers needed.

Discussing the skills of the guitarist currently playing, we were interrupted by someone clearing their voice. A pair of big, dark brown eyes enhanced by eyeliner met mine. The sides of his head were shaved, and at the back, he had long, soft looking brown hair in a ponytail.

Feeling Alice's elbow nudging me, I snapped my mouth shut realizing I was staring at him instead of taking his order. His bare, white chest was gleaming with sweat, and he was smiling widely at me clearly amused by my reaction.

"Hi, can I have a beer please, handsome?" he said slipping a coupon to me. My eyes went to the band around his wrist, that showed whether he was old enough to buy alcohol or not.

"I'm 21, in case you're wondering," he said waving his wrist at me. "See, it's blue." He was still smiling at me. His slender upper arms were covered in large tattoos depicting dragons in bold colors, contrasting against his almost white skin.

"Yeah," I swallowed. "I noticed. I'll get you one."

Taking his cup, he swiftly pressed it to his flushed chin. "It's so hot today I had to take off my t-shirt when we were dancing in front of the stage."

"Did you dance to this band?" I found myself wondering what he thought of it.

"Yes, they're very good." Taking a sip of his beer, he turned to the stage where the band now had finished. "I especially like the guitarist. He must have been playing for many years."

Leaning forward, I put my elbows on the counter. "Yes, Alice and I were discussing him when you came over. Do you play any instruments yourself?" 

I could see he had black cargo pants hanging low on his hips held up by a black belt with spikes. His lower stomach ended in a trail of brown hair. Feeling my throat drying up, I suddenly realized I was staring openly at his crotch. Swiftly turning my eyes up, I was met by his glittering eyes as he let them wander freely over the parts of me visible above the counter.

"Yes, I play guitar myself. I'm in a band. We're actually playing at Stage 3 in two hours." I found the thought of seeing him playing guitar intriguing.

Luckily, my shift was over in time for their show, and I asked Alice if she wanted to go with me. There was quite some distance to walk and people everywhere, so when we finally reached the stage they had already started playing.

Being a bit of a sound freak, I always try to fight my way through the crowd to my sweet spot; center in front of the stage. Keeping a firm grip of Alice's hand, I dragged her after me. Looking up, I discovered a pair of black cargo pants tucked into worn military boots. A sunburst Fender Jazzmaster hung low in front of him, as he stood with his head down and his long hair covering his face.

As hard as I tried, I could not make eye contact with him as they played song after song. He was so deep inside the music and his focus was on his guitar and the cues from the bass player and drummer. Looking at each other, Alice and I smiled and nodded, enjoying what we heard.

As the last song finished, in a wall of feedback and crackling, Alice dragged me with her to a tiny stage where a friend of hers was going to play a DJ set with sampler and a laptop. She went to the front of the stage, but I wanted to stay further back to get the best sound. Observing the few people dancing and listening to the music, I found myself wanting once more to lose myself in his dark brown eyes.

More and more people came to listen and dance, and after a while, it became quite a crowd. The sun was setting and the atmosphere was buzzing as the crowd was dancing wilder and wilder and several girls climbed up on stage waving sunglasses and beers.

I thought the music was good and I felt myself moving with the rhythm as I was sucked into the crowd. It was impossible not to follow the crowd’s movements. Small lamps shone everywhere and even though it was night, it still was warm. Pulling off my t-shirt, I tucked it into my back pocket.

Suddenly, a pair of hands gripped my hips and I felt a warm, sweaty chest against my back. It was definitely a man and I turned my head sharply. Big, dark eyes glittered at me and his mouth was serious, like he wondered if I was okay with it. Leaning against him, I continued dancing.

He knew how to move his body and soon we were rubbing and grinding against each other. Moving his hands down my sides over my bare chest, I felt a tight and hot feeling in my lower stomach. It had been such a long time since anybody had touched me in this way and, because it was him doing it, it felt delicious.

Deciding to take the initiative, I put my head against his shoulder and kissed his neck. He smelled like sun and sweat mixed with his own sweet smell. I had not imagined him smelling so good, not that I had imagined I would get the chance to smell him at all.

He turned me around and we danced face to face. I was half a head taller than him, but then I'm taller than most. As I looked down into his eyes, he was staring up at me intensely. My eyes went to his mouth and noticed it had a small inviting smile in one corner. His bottom lip was a bit plump, like it had a scar in the middle.

I let my hands slide up his sweaty back and pressed him lightly against me. Leaning into him, I closed the distance between us. Our noses rubbed against each other as we felt each other’s breath. Feeling the tightness in my stomach increase, I closed my eyes before I pressed my lips softly against his.

It was sweet and delicious and my body wanted more at once. Pressing my tongue against his mouth, he willingly opened up. His taste was divine, our tongues slid easily against each other. I felt my heart racing in my chest and my breathing accelerate before I came to myself with a snap, as I realized where we were.

"Shit, we can't do this here," I wheezed out. Gazing up at me with dark eyes breathing heavily, he shook his head as if trying to come back to reality. I could tell he wanted me, but did I want him? I didn't know him at all, but I had been drawn to him from the first sight and now I felt a strong attraction to him.

Looking at me expectantly, he asked, "Do you live nearby?"

Deciding quickly, I said, "Yes, and I have my car right outside." The words were out of my mouth before I consciously registered my decision.

"Awesome!" He took me by the arm and we trailed off.

On our way to my car, he held my hand in his, all warm and dry. With his other hand he quickly texted on his cell. "I'm sending a message to my friends so they don't go looking for me later," he said smiling at me.

A comfortable silence spread in the car as we listened to a CD from one of the bands from yesterday’s show.

Parking my car outside the house, I went for the gate. He remained standing by the car door looking around. "Is this your house?" he asked with admiration in his voice.

"No, unfortunately not. But this small cottage is mine for the summer," I said, opening the door to the cottage. It consisted of only one room, so it was sparsely furnished, but I had a comfortable bed.

Edward met us at the door, but quickly went to his place in the corner like the good dog he is.

"Do you play?" he asked me interested. He stood at the threshold with his boots in his hand. He must have looked around and seen my guitar case.

"Yes, but only at home. I don't play in bands anymore. My guitar is my dearest possession."

"I'm sorry, but I guess I haven't asked for your name," I suddenly realized. It was convenient to know our names at least, even if we didn't know much more.

Holding out his hand, and bowing like a small boy he presented himself. "Riley here." I was struck by how expressive his eyes were as he smiled at me.

"I'm Jasper. Nice to meet you," I said, taking his hand smiling back at him.

"Would you like to sit down?" I gestured to the bed. "And would you like some water?" I went over to the tap and poured two glasses. Sitting down beside him, I felt my hand shake slightly as I handed him his glass.

Drinking greedily, he set down his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thank you, I was thirsty after dancing." He smiled at me again.

"Why don't you come a bit closer?" he asked leaning against the wall behind him. His hand grabbed mine and I knelt slowly up on my knees. Watching my every move, he kissed me softly when I came close enough. Pulling back and gazing into my eyes, sighing softly, he put his hand on my chin and felt my scruff.

"I noticed you right away at the bar. You're so beautiful," he whispered.

I'm not comfortable with receiving compliments, but as I could see he was serious, I carefully said thank you. "I think you're beautiful too," I whispered back.

I raised my hand to his clean, shaved head, but he stopped me. For a moment, I thought I had done something wrong, but then I saw him taking out the string that held his hair together, as he looked expectantly up at me.

My hand stroked the smooth skin of his scalp and my fingers slipped into his hair. He let out a purring sound from the back of his throat. My other hand did the same thing at the other side and I pulled his head back by his hair, making him moan softly.

Placing my arm behind his back and pulling him close to me, I kissed him hard on the mouth. We fell backwards with him on top of me. Stretching my legs out he wiggled himself between them and pushed himself against me. I was blown away by the thought of someone so good looking wanting to be with me. I could imagine he got a lot of attention usually and could choose whoever he wanted.

I looked deep into his eyes enjoying how good it felt as he lain heavily on top of me. I stroked his back up and down feeling his warm skin. His long hair hanging around our heads like a curtain, we kissed deeply. I felt my chin flush, but the rest of my blood going somewhere else completely. Feeling him harden, I wanted him closer to feel more of his skin.

The zipper of my jeans was becoming uncomfortable against my dick as it hardened. I slipped my hand between our stomachs unbuttoning his pants. Noticing my intentions, he leaned up on his elbows and his hair was like a veil around us.

"What do you want to do?" His eyes brimming with anticipation, his voice just a breath.

"I want to do everything you'll let me do," I answered honestly. "What do you want?"

"I want you to do everything you want to do," he said, his eyes glinting.

I smiled widely at him and told him to get up. Pulling off our t-shirts and pants, I could see that he had a big tent in his boxers. He really wanted me; the evidence was solid as a rock.

Feeling my eyes on him, he took my hand and put it over the bulge in his boxers as we both moaned softly. A grunt escaped my lips when I felt how hard he actually was. Paying close attention, I carefully pulled his boxers down revealing him to me.

His uncut dick was long, but not as thick as mine and pointed to the side. It was as beautifully sculptured as the rest of him. With one finger, I gently stroked up and down the soft skin. Seeing Riley's dick jerk happily at my soft touch, I felt the urge to taste him.

Crawling down to the floor sitting between his legs, I leaned against his dick taking deep breaths along his shaft to inhale his sweet scent. Looking up at his face, he smiled down at me and urged me to continue. "Yes, please!"

Placing small kisses along the vein from base to top, I licked his slit and the taste of his precum felt sweet on my tongue. Wetting my lips, I took him into my mouth as deep as I could. His hand went to my hair and followed my heads movements. Up and down, I sucked him in and heard him gasping for air. It turned me on to hear him make the horny sounds. I felt my dick throb and I wanted to touch myself.

Switching from sucking him, I swirled my tongue around the head of his dick until it was nice and wet. Cupping his balls in one hand, I squeezed them gently before grabbing his dick and pumping him fast. Taking one of his balls into my mouth, I sucked on it hard until I could feel he was about to come.  
I quickly put his dick into my mouth so that he could come inside of me. He tried to pull my head backwards, but I swallowed his juices and continued to suck him until his soft dick slipped out of my mouth.

He smiled lazily at me lying on his back humming to himself. It was satisfying to see that he liked it. Even if I had done this many times before, it was some time ago now.

Taking my glass, I drank the rest of the water.

"Come here, you," he smiled at me.

Crawling over him, I kissed him thoroughly. Feeling his hand on my dick, I begged him, "Can I be inside of you?"

Cupping my chin, he whispered softly, "I said I wanted to do everything you want to."

I swallowed heavily. Yes, I wanted to be inside of him and bury myself in the heat of his body.

Standing up quickly, I pulled out the drawer under the table. I had to rummage though the mess before I found the lube and condoms I had thrown in the back when I moved in.

When I turned to him with the condoms in my hand, he had already opened the lube and was about to put it on his fingers. "Oh, no, let me do that," I said quickly. I knew how to prepare him well to make it good for him.

Lying back, he put his knees up. He was so tempting lying there and I had to just stand and watch him for a bit. He stroked his thighs and grabbed his ass cheeks pulling them apart so that I got a perfect view of his puckered hole. I felt my dick jerk up and down. I didn't know that it was possible to get this hard.

"Don't you want to be inside?" he asked with laughter in his voice. I may have drooled a little.

Taking a fair amount of lube on my fingers, I sat down between his legs. I took his balls in my other hand and lifted them up before I carefully put my middle finger a bit inside his hole. It slipped easily in and out, and I added my index finger. I curled my fingers up against his navel and found what felt like a hard round bone.

Groaning loudly, his body arched backwards. "There you are," I smiled. His dick had been soft against his thigh but now started swelling again and I took it in my mouth and sucked hard. It was easy to get down my throat when it was not at its full length, but it grew fast as I sucked and pumped in and out of him, rubbing at his sweet spot. I took a firmer grip around his balls, down at the root and pulled at them.

"Oh, my God, more!" he commanded me, but I reckoned he was ready enough for me now. An irritated grunt escaped him when I stopped. Wiping my fingers on my t-shirt, I grabbed my dick. It pulsated and the head was dark red and swollen.  
Quickly rolling the condom on, I applied a fair amount of lube as I pumped myself a few times.

"Oh, come on then." It wasn't just me who was impatient now.

"Pull your knees up and grab hold of your legs," I urged him, positioning myself between his thighs.

Paying close attention, I let my dick slip up and down over his eager hole several times. It was such an exciting view and I wanted the tingling feeling of expectation in my stomach to last forever.

"Please, stop teasing me!" he gasped. "I need you inside me now!"

Letting my dick slip inside slowly, I met very little resistance. He had his eyes closed and the muscles in his face relaxed. His tight hole embraced my dick as the head slipped all the way in.

I had to pull myself together not to push further. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I looked down to where we were joined. This sight alone was enough to almost make me come.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself together. It was such a long time since I had been inside of someone and I very much wanted this to last.

As I carefully pushed deeper into him, his eyes opened wider, darkening with craving and lust.

My hips started to move on their own. Gliding in and out of this warm and tight place, I nipped and sucked at his neck. He let out a long and hoarse moan when I nibbled at his earlobe. He put his thighs around my hips, pulling me deeper in.

"You feel so good," I breathed down his neck. He turned his face towards me and kissed me with passion.

Grabbing his legs, I put them on my shoulders changing the angle.

"Oh, yes, right there," he moaned. "Yes, right there, yes, yes, yes."

I had to let go of one of his legs so I could grab his dick and gripped it firmly as I pushed in and out. I felt a familiar tightening in my balls and I hoped he soon would come again.

"Are you close?" I managed to wheeze out.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes," he chanted, with his body in a tight arc. His whole body tensed and I pumped him faster with my hand as I tried to withhold my own orgasm.

"Come on, come for me," I panted. Grunting, his white cum shot long threads into my hand and all over his stomach.

Finally letting go, I thrust without control into him, coming deep inside him.

Falling heavily on top of him, we were both sweaty and satisfied. Holding the condom in place as I pulled out of him, I tied a knot at the end and put it on the floor. I didn't have the energy to get up.

Pulling him to me, he rested his head on my shoulder and I put a blanket over us. Gazing into his heavy dark brown eyes, I kissed him softly once more.

"Good night," I whispered to him, receiving a satisfied grunt in response.

-o-

Next thing I remember is the sound of seagulls and Edward licking my chin.

"Yeah, I'm up." Edward probably wanted to take our morning walk on the beach.

Suddenly remembering what happened the night before, I opened my eyes. There was no one else in the little room. I jumped out of bed and ran outside to see if he was in the garden, but he was nowhere around.

Edward went ahead of me as I ran down the stairs to the beach. Reaching the end of the pathway, he came running to me with a stick in his mouth. I took it and threw it as hard as I could into the ocean, cursing loudly.

I looked at my watch. It was 2 pm. He was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much M-alice Slashlover for pre-reading and Sue273 for betaing. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

Riley POV

Music is pumping through my body making me feel like the bass is going to take over my heartbeat. I need to be alone, but there are people everywhere, making it hard for me to breathe. I usually enjoy hanging out at bars with my friends and go with the flow, but tonight I just can't seem to shake this feeling of uneasiness.

Pushing my way through the crowd, I find the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Feeling I can breathe again, I walk over to the sink and turn on the cold water. Some time alone. Maybe that's what I need. Living with my band in our apartment and then being on the road with them all summer, I haven't had a second to myself for a long time. On the other hand, it could be that I'm just tired. A two-month long summer tour is very exhausting.

Washing my face with cold water, I look into the mirror. The eyes looking back at me, I know they're mine, but they're different somehow. They remind me of marbles, my dark, brown pupils surrounded by white. They seem even bigger when I'm wearing eyeliner, like tonight. 

I stare into my eyes, but it's as if they're far away. All I see is sky. Blue sky. Blue eyes in a beautiful face. He had the most expressive eyes I've ever seen. The way he looked down at me, full of amazement, eyes hooded with want, keeps coming back to me.

Determined that this is going to be the last time I think of him, I wonder why he hasn't called me. Doesn't he want to see me again? Am I getting a taste of my own medicine? I feel I should have done more to get to see him again. Not just put a note where I was so sure he would find it. Being on the road the whole summer with my band, with a couple of gigs every week, we haven't been home for two months, but maybe I could have found the time to go back to his house if I really had wanted it. Maybe he still would have been there. It would have been worth it, I just know it. 

– O – 

 

I'm used to waking up in a strange man’s bed, all cottonmouth and wanting to get home as quickly as possible. Not necessarily because I regret what I did the night before, but because I want to move on. Waking up in Jasper's bed was very comfortable. His arms were around me, as I snuggled up against him, feeling his warm skin against mine. Breathing in his scent, I just wanted to lie here all day and not care about anything else. 

The night before had been amazing. First, the kick off on our summer tour, then a big crowd came to listen to us play, and finally yet importantly, I met Jasper and had an amazing and intense night with him. 

The band was so excited to be finally on their way. After our sound check, we had a few hours to spare before our gig, so we just hung out and listened to a couple of the other bands. One of them we had never heard of before and it turned out they were great. I especially liked the guitarist. It was a warm day and all the dancing made me thirsty. I looked around for a bar, finally spotting the long counter. Behind it stood a man talking to what appeared to be a child.

Walking up to him, I thought he looked kind of interesting with his black dyed hair in an unruly cut, a washed out Sonic Youth t-shirt and muscular arms. However, it was his face in particular that drew me in. He was beautiful.

I watched him gesturing animatedly to what turned out to be a very small woman. I heard him praising the guitarist with words I could have used myself and that piqued my interest even more. Not only was he good looking but also he recognized a great guitarist. 

I could tell right away that he was attracted to me when his eyes slowly roamed over my face and chest. It was an easy decision to make that I was going do my very best to get him to go home with me that night. 

The gig went smoothly and walking around afterwards, I heard music that caught my ear. It turned out to be a band that was perfect to come down from my high after playing. Dancing around for a bit, I couldn't believe my luck when I saw him there shirtless in his tight black jeans. He had his eyes closed, so I sneaked up behind him and pressed myself up against him.

The thought of the night before made my morning wood throb in my briefs. I let my hand wander over his smooth chest, but before I got any further a loud buzzing came from my cell phone, and I jumped up to take the call before it woke Jasper up. His dog was at my feet instantly and I brought him out with me to take the call.

“Hello,” I whispered into the phone before I shut the door behind me. 

“Where the hell are you, man?” James yelled into my ear. Oh, shit, we had a long drive ahead of us today and we had to leave as early as possible. 

“Sorry, dude, I'm on my way. I'm just going to call a cab and I'll be there in half an hour.” Looking down at my bare feet in the grass, I realized I was nearly naked outside in only my briefs. This was really a beautiful garden and as I looked around, I met the eyes of an old woman staring at me from the kitchen window in the main house. 

I whistled for the dog and he came around the corner, followed me inside and went to his dog bed at once. Wrestling with my cargo pants, I frantically looked around for a pen and some paper. I didn't want to leave Jasper without giving him the opportunity to contact me again. Scribbling down my cell number, I added:

 

Jasper, 

Here is my phone number. I'm leaving for a summer tour with my band right now, but please call me. I would very much like to see you again!

Riley

 

Scratching my head, I had no idea where to put the note. His table was full of mess after his hunt for condoms in the drawer last night. Knowing it had to be left somewhere I was sure he would find it, my eyes fell on his guitar case. He said last night that his guitar was his dearest possession. There my note would be safe. 

Jasper was obviously a heavy sleeper, or he could just be exhausted from last night, because he hadn't moved at all since I woke up. Leaning down to his face, I kissed his forehead softly and he let out a small sigh as I straightened up and then closed the door after me. 

– O – 

 

I had grown up in a small town and, not liking football, it wasn't easy for me in my early teens. All of my friends seemed to have that single interest for a while. Add being gay and telling my few friends when I was fourteen to that mix and I soon had only one friend left. 

Bree and I were inseparable the next few years. We both loved music and when I bought myself a guitar, she bought herself a bass and we practised together every day. When we turned sixteen and could drive, we soon found friends in the next small town with similar interests. Bree and I formed a band and soon we had Victoria on drums and James on vocal and rhythm guitar. Although James was terrible at playing guitar, he has gotten at lot better over the years, but the guitar was mainly for him to have something to hold on to, it's the vocals he's good at. 

As soon as we finished high school, the four of us moved to the city, where we already knew many people and there had been a big music environment for a long time. It was such a freedom for me to be able to wear my more interesting clothes and, at the time, my mohawk but rarely get comments or hostile looks from strangers. Here you had to work hard if you wanted to stand out. Another big advantage for me was all the other gay men I met. It was like an endless supply and the first year I was with someone new as often as I could, but after a while, I calmed down a bit and I chose more carefully. This summer, I still could have been with someone new as often as I wanted, but I haven't felt like it for some reason. 

The first thing we did when the four of us moved here was occupy an apartment in an abandoned building down by the water. Private companies wanted to make big money in the area and built fancy apartments for the rich a few years back. There are still a few of the old buildings left uninhabited. We felt this was wrong as long as there were many low-income families with children living in welfare shelters. The apartment we live in still has water and electricity and we actually manage to save money living like this. We don't know how long we'll be able to live here before they throw us out, though.

Over the two years we've been here, we've established many important contacts and a great support team and there's always a big crowd when we play concerts around here. 

The four of us all volunteer or work for small wages at the culture center that has been established here in this condoned area a few years back and is run by social workers, volunteers and state funding. James works in the daycare center where parents can leave their kids while they make use of what's offered here or are themselves volunteering. Victoria is the health freak of our group and she has exercise classes for the elderly, but also works as an instructor at a fitness center. 

Bree helps kids with their homework as well as running courses for immigrants in English and helping them fill out paperwork correctly. She mainly studies at the university though and that's where she met Diego. He comes from a rich family and could live wherever he wanted, but he's chosen to move in with us to live with Bree. He was with us in our old van all summer and helped us with our equipment at every gig. Diego has become a very important part of our group. He has long dreads and smokes hash from time to time. He's a vegetarian and most of the time he makes our dinner and holds courses in making vegetarian food at the culture center. His courses have become very popular, so now he actually is paid to hold them, but he gives the money to our band account, where we all contribute to the best of our ability. 

I work at a music store where we specialize in Indy music, but every evening I volunteer in the basement at the center. There we have rooms where bands can practice and for those who don't have their own equipment, they can borrow what we have here. It's not the best that can be bought, but I take good care of it. What I spend most of my time doing is working in the studio helping bands produce their records, which makes the center a great deal of money because that part is not free. 

That is where we made our EP this winter, which helped us this spring when we sent it out to bars and venues to get gigs for the summer. We have sold a few of them here at the center, at the music shop where I work and at our concerts, but we mainly made it to distribute. We're not interested in record companies with their rich people who want to be richer and tell us what to do, how to look and what to play. We want to do what we love, and that's playing our own music to those who wants to listen. 

O –

After drying my hands on a paper towel, I take a deep breath and open the bathroom door. The noise hits me like a wall of sound. I feel a bit better now and I think I want to stay a little longer as it's still early in the evening. Pushing my way through the crowd, saying a hello here and nodding there, I get in line at the bar. Getting my beer, I go searching for Bree and Diego. Of course, I find them sitting with Bree in Diego's lap. 

“Hey, Ry! Where the fuck have you been? We thought you'd gone home without telling us!” Bree shouts loud enough for me to hear her. 

I feel a hand on my back and massive red hair is peering at me over my shoulder. “Are you all right? You look a bit pale. Maybe you haven't eaten enough today?” Victoria thinks that all problems can be solved with healthy food and exercise. 

Behind her, James is holding her by her waist. I look down at his firm grip on her and shake my head. I don't want to talk to them about my feelings of loneliness. We're here to grab a few beers, mingle and relax. I'm the fifth wheel in our group as the four others are couples. I usually don't think about that, as I have preferred to keep my options open to hook up with whomever I want for the night. The others often tease me about it and calling me a man- whore, and maybe I used to be one. 

This summer, I've missed someone to share my motel room with as the others pair up and call it a day. My thoughts have often drifted back to Jasper and our intense night. Lately it's him I think about in the shower when I take care of my morning wood and spill down the drain to him. His lips around my dick, when he sat between my legs and looked up at me with his clear blue eyes. And the look on his face, when I told him that I wanted to do what he wanted to do. 

He obviously knew what he was doing, and when he said he wanted to be inside of me, I gladly let him, even though I'm usually the one to top. 

I always think it tells a lot about someone’s personality how they behave during sex. He was so attuned to the signals I sent him. I knew from our short time together that he was a sensitive and caring person, in addition to beautiful and sexy as hell. He was attractive to me, inside and out. 

“I'm just tired. I think I'll go home soon,” I shout to them. Victoria squeezes my shoulder and as I kiss her cheek, I recognize a few people in a group sitting at the table behind James. It's Sam, Jacob and a few others. I haven't talked to them since the festival and I want to thank them again for the opportunity. That concert gave us a lot of positive publicity.

I nod my head in their direction and the others turn to see them. As we walk over to them, I link my arm with Victoria's and lean my head on her shoulder. Jacob gets up when he sees us and shakes my hand. 

“Hey, you're back! You're finally home from your summer tour. I heard it was a success,” he says loudly with a big smile. These guys are about ten years older than we are and have been in the music business for a long time in this town. They know everybody you need to know here. 

I put on my biggest smile for them and am about to give him the long tale as I look at the others sitting with him but my words become stuck in my throat.

It's Jasper! 

Jasper is sitting here at the table with them and he's staring at me.

His hair is a bit longer and lighter from the summer sun and his skin has a golden glow to it. He's even more beautiful than I can remember. He looks so healthy, as if he spent the whole summer outside with his dog at the beach and not like me driving around the country in our old van, sleeping late and playing all night in bars.

Staring back at him with my mouth open, Victoria's hand is back at my shoulder and before I turn to face her, I see him frowning. I don't like him frowning at me. I want to see him smiling at me. 

“Are you all right?” she asks me. Nodding slowly, I turn to Jasper again and swallow. I can do this. He's right here, I can find out why he didn't call me and maybe I can get him to go home with me tonight. This is not the right place to talk to him though. I don't want all these people to hear what I want to talk to him about and we need to be somewhere quieter. If he even wants to talk to me, that is. 

I see him finishing his beer and yelling to Jacob and the rest of them that he's calling it a night. Jacob looks down at his watch and raises his eyebrows to him mouthing “What?”

“I have my first day at work tomorrow. You know that I was just meeting you guys for a beer,” he tells him. This is my only opportunity and I have to grab it. Turning to my friends, I tell them that I don't feel so well after all and I'm just going to go home and get some sleep. We hug each other before I quickly follow Jasper outside. 

He stands right outside the door putting his arm into his jacket and lifting the hood of his black sweater from underneath. When he's finished getting dressed, he turns to me and looks right at me. At once, I feel nervous and a bit intimidated. My hands start pulling at my hair and the confident me that wants to take him home with me tonight is gone. 

“So,” I start to say, but there is only one thing I really need to know. “Why didn't you call me?”

His eyebrows do that frowning thing again. I want to smooth it away. 

“How do you expect me to call when I don't know your phone number?” he asks, still with the frown. 

My confidence is slowly coming back to me with his words. “But I left you a note. Didn't you read it?” 

“No. How can I read a note when it's not there?” He puts his hands in his jacket pockets. A knot in my stomach I hadn't realized was even there until now disappears at his words. Taking a small step against him, I feel a smile forming on my lips and I begin to chuckle. 

“You didn't get my note! You said to me your guitar was your dearest possession so I put the note under its strings, in your guitar case. I thought it would be safe there.”

“No. I woke up and you were gone. I never found a note in my guitar case, under its strings or anywhere in my cottage. Although I had my guitar at Esme's a lot this summer. I guess it could have got lost there. I had no way of contacting you. ” He takes a small step in my direction.

“But you wanted to? To contact me, I mean?” 

“Yeah, of course I wanted to see you again.” He scratches his head and smiles his lopsided smile. “I've been looking for you all summer. I didn't know where you lived and lately I've thought that you must have been from out of town.”

He had been looking for me all summer! He wanted to see me again! Maybe he wanted to come home with me tonight after all. 

“So, you have been here all summer? In your cottage, I mean?”

“Yes, I spent a week volunteering at a renaissance fair, but other than that, I've helped Esme and Carlisle a lot with their garden. But you have been on a summer tour with your band, so it's not strange I haven't seen you around then,” he tells me. 

I smile at him. “Yeah, but now we're back. And we're going back to our regular work too.”

“Great. Where do you work then?”

“I work at the record store during the day and evenings I volunteer at the culture center in the music department, where I'm in charge of co-coordinating the rehearsal rooms, but I mainly work in the studio,” I tell him. He's hanging onto every word I say and seems interested. 

“I don't know very much about the culture center,” he says. “This is my hometown, but I have just moved back after my studies. There have been a lot of changes, even if many things are the same.”

“Yeah, you told me you used to play in bands.”

“Yes, I played in different bands while growing up here. You seem to know Sam and Jacob. I've played with them before.”

“Then you might be interested in seeing the culture center? We've lived here for two years now and we've been volunteering there all this time. You should come and check it out. Maybe there's something for you to do there too? What exactly are you teaching?” He grabs my arm to stop me. I have so many questions for him. I want to know everything about him right now. 

“Riley, I've got to get up early tomorrow, as I said. Your culture center sounds very interesting, but I'm just starting my job, and I have a lot of responsibility for the high school kids I'll be teaching. It's history by the way.” He smiles at me. Oh, no, please don't let him turn me down. I want to know more about him. 

He seems to sense my stress and squeezes my arm. “I'm not turning you down. I'm just trying to tell you that I have a job, and that is my first priority. I would love to come visit you at the center sometime when you're there though.”

I let out the breath I've been holding and smile up at him. He comes closer and he leans down to whisper in my ear: “This time you're not getting away from me before I have your number on my cell and your address on a note in my wallet!” 

– O – 

One month later:

Esme POV

Glancing behind the curtain peering down at the busy street, I'm tapping the frame nervously until I feel his hand on my shoulder. At once, my hand stops tapping and I let out a sigh. Turning my head to my love, I see his face is full of wrinkles and his eyes so much paler than they used to be, but they're as dear to me as ever. 

“Come and sit down and drink your coffee with me, sweetheart,” he says to me softly. I follow him willingly to the table where I straighten the tablecloth before I sit. 

“You know they will take really good care of it for you, right? This is what they do. They're professionals. You will just have to wait for a little bit longer, and then you'll be able to play again.” He gives me a small smile, takes my hand with all the liver spots and thin, soft skin in his and strokes it with his thumb. 

I love him as much as I always have and I would follow him to the end of the world if he wanted to go there. It doesn't matter to me that we had to sell the house we have spent all our grown up life together in. However, my piano I don't think I could live without. 

“Why don't you do your warm up exercises for a bit, just to keep your fingers in shape?” He says to me as he takes a small bite of a cookie. He knows he shouldn't be eating those kinds of things with his diabetes, but I can't find it in my heart to lecture him on this now. 

I walk as fast as I can to the door when finally the bell chimes. Two big, young men come panting inside with my piano followed by a small girl. I know this is Jane, the supervisor from the moving agency we hired. 

I hold my hand close to my heart, watching them do their work, when my love embraces me and places a kiss softly in my hair. “It'll be alright, you'll see,” he whispers as I lean my head on his chest. 

They finally finish up without even a single complaint from me about the mud they dragged through our whole apartment. Feeling a tap at my shoulder, I'm surprised they're still here. Jane holds a small piece of paper in her little hand. 

“By the way, we found this note with a phone number on it in your old house under the piano. It might be important,” she says winking at me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much M-alice Slashlover for pre-reading and Sue273 for betaing. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

Jasper POV

I smile all the way back home from the bar, greeting Edward happily when he comes to meet me at the door. After changing his water and getting ready for bed, I set my alarm clock. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head right now; it will be hard falling asleep tonight.

Just a few hours ago, I was so nervous about meeting my colleagues for the first time tomorrow, but now all I can think of is Riley. At the last minute, I decided to go grab a beer with Jacob and Sam when they called me. I almost couldn't believe it when I saw Riley there, suddenly standing by our table talking to Jacob. I thought I heard the words 'summer tour' being mentioned. Could it be that he had been away all summer while I was looking for him?

He looked just as good as I remembered, maybe a bit tired though, leaning his head on a pretty redhead's shoulder. Was she his girlfriend? I knew almost nothing about him after spending only one night together. Should I acknowledge him or pretend we hadn't met before?

Not one for drama, I decided to go home for the night. Now at least we both knew that Jacob was a mutual friend. If Riley wanted to contact me, he could just ask him for my phone number. I felt his eyes on me as I walked away until I was outside the door. While I was struggling with my jacket, he was suddenly standing there, right before me, just as pale as ever, with his huge brown eyes looking up at me nervously. What does he have to be nervous about? If he has a girlfriend, why did he follow me outside? Maybe it was her he ran off to when he left without waking me up or at least leaving a note saying 'thank you' or something. 

He told me he left me a note after all, but it must have been lost. When I told him I've been looking for him all summer, his face lit up and the nervousness seemed gone. He stepped closer to me with a new fire in his eyes and enthusiastically told me about this culture center he volunteers at. It seemed great, but when he was trying to recruit me, I had to stop him because I have a huge responsibility at work already. He looked like he thought I didn't want to see him again, so I quickly reassured him that I was not leaving before I had his phone number this time. As I leaned in to whisper in his ear, I took a deep breath and inhaled his scent for the first time in two months, and he smelled even better than I remembered.

I toss and turn in bed for a while as predicted. I'm not nervous about tomorrow anymore. All I can think about is Riley and how good he looked. I can't help but indulge in my fantasies of all we might do if we get together again; what I'll do to him and what I'll let him do to me.

My dick easily springs to life at the thoughts of him, just as it had all summer. Now that I know there is a chance that I'll be with him again, it's even more exciting to think of him, of his long lean body and his pale, smooth skin. I think about studying the dragon tattoos on his slender upper arms. I didn't have the time to enjoy his body art our night together. I want to trace every line with my finger and study them really closely. 

Stroking my dick, I pretend I'm inside his wet and warm mouth, his hand caressing my balls. It doesn't take long before I come hard all over my hand and stomach. Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep now; I'd like to feel rested in the morning.

Tomorrow after work, I'm going to call him. I guess I'll be swamped with work and new impressions all week, making it difficult to meet up before the weekend, but I'll make time to talk to him on the phone.

– O – 

We talk together every afternoon when we're both home from work, getting to know each other a bit. He has only a couple of hours to get something to eat before he's on his way to the center for his night shift, though. A couple of times he calls me at night when he gets home early enough for me to still be awake. It's so easy to talk to him and there are so many things I feel like telling him but there is not enough time for us to get into deeper things.

Thursday night when he calls me, I'm already asleep, but I'm awake instantly when I hear my phone go off. He asks me if I want to meet him Friday afternoon. I can come over to their apartment, he says, eat dinner with them and follow him to the center where I'll get a tour and keep him company while he supervises the rehearsal rooms.

When I hesitate for a second, he quickly says that if it's to early to meet his friends, I can just show up at the center. “No, that's not it,” I tell him. “Who is the pretty redhead you were with at the bar last week?” 

He laughs and tells me that Victoria is his good friend and band mate, James' girlfriend of many years. “Great,” I smile in relief. “I'd love to met your friends.”

4.30 pm on Friday I stand outside a large building down by the water. There are several buildings here, some that look like they're newly renovated, but the one before me doesn't look like anything has been done to it for a long time. I wonder what the reason for that is. I'm not very familiar with this area and I grow more and more curious the higher up the stairs I go. What is this place? There are no signs on the doors; some apartments don't even have front doors. There is a lot of graffiti on the walls, but there is no garbage on the floors. Riley hasn't told me anything about their apartment, but now I'm dying to know what kind of place this is. I'm full of questions for him; he's such a complex person even with his easy-going personality.

A cute girl with long blue hair opens the door quickly after my first knock. Her face doesn't look older than the girls I teach at school, but her eyes tell me she carries more years of baggage with her. 

I extend my hand to her, feeling a bit nervous all of a sudden. “Hello, I'm Jasper. I'm here to see Riley.” 

A smile forms on her face, before she yells loud enough for the whole building to hear, “Ry! Your boyfriend is here to see you!”

Riley comes hurrying to the door drying his long hair with a towel, scolding the girl. “Oh, for God's sake, be nice to our guest!” He bumps her shoulder lightly and then looks up at me, and I can't seem to look anywhere else but into his eyes.

“Hey, Jasper. I'm Bree, Riley's best friend. It's nice to finally meet you.” The girl breaks our spell, hugging me surprisingly tight. I like that he has told his best friend about me and don't feel so nervous anymore.

Riley puts his hand on my back and leads me to a small, clean kitchen where a long, thin man with dreads stands by the stove stirring a big pot of something that smells delicious. When he sees us coming in, he dries his hand on his apron and greets me. “Hi there, I'm Diego, Bree's boyfriend.” 

“I'm Jasper. It's smells really good in here!”

“Thanks, I'm making us a vegetarian chilli. It might be the coriander and cumin you're smelling.”

Riley leads me out of the kitchen, his hand on my back again. “Come on, I'll show you around.”

The rest of their apartment is messy, but seems as clean as the kitchen. They don't have much furniture, only one small well-worn couch under a window. I look out of it and am a little surprised by what I see.

“What is this place? You have a magnificent view from up here.”

As we sit around the table and eat, they tell me that this is an abandoned building that the owners want to renovate completely and make into expensive apartments because of the great view. Riley animatedly tells me they think the apartments should be kept the current size and be sold at reasonable prices to low-income families. In a city this big, there are many people with children , who struggle every day and have to live in welfare shelters. This building was nice enough when it got abandoned, but the owners have just left it to rot to justify the renovations. 

They have lived here for two years now, but every day they expect the police to show up at the front door kicking them out. “Of course, when they finally do, we'll go quietly,” Riley says. “We don't want any trouble; we just want to do what we can to show the rich that there are still people willing to stand up for the poor.”

“That's what you do at the center too, isn't it?” I volunteer a few weeks every summer at music festivals and renaissance fairs, but they do so much more, and they're still so young.

After we're finished eating and talking, we all drive over in my car to the culture center that I now find very intriguing. 

Finally, I see a large brick building with a lot of windows. It's not very high, but it's wide and has a large parking lot right outside. Looking back, I see there is a short walking distance to a bus stop. Outside the door, there is a switch to press for the two large doors to open and enough space inside for a wheelchair to maneuver into the elevator to my left. I follow the others up to the frosted glass doors with black letters on it saying 'Reception'. 

Inside there is a wide, but shallow room with a front desk right ahead of us. A woman looking to be in her fifties greets us warmly, and as Bree and Diego head upstairs, the woman smiles at me introducing herself as Mrs. Cope. She has a laptop on the desk, and behind her is a big shelf with what looks to be well-organized papers, brochures and office equipment. To our right there are three couches occupied by five young women, chatting and reading magazines. Beside them, is a gym mat with two babies playing beside each other. 

Behind Mrs. Cope, there's an open door that I presume is where the smell of coffee is coming from and I see a table with a few chairs. “That is the kitchen and our break room, love,” she tells me when I peak my head inside. 

“Diego teaches vegetarian cooking classes in here,” Riley tells me.

To our left are two doors with signs on them saying 'Day Care' and 'Library'. “Come on, I'll show you where James work,” Riley says walking towards one of the doors. “Victoria isn't here right now. The yoga class she teaches at the fitness center would have already begun.”

He opens the 'Day care' door and we're met by a sweet smell and sight. A man, who I assume is James, is slowly rocking a sleeping baby on his arm, while a girl who looks around five years old is sitting by a small round table eating an apple and drawing a big, red 'A' on a sheet of paper. When she hears us open the door, she looks up sharply hushing at us pointing to the baby. James looks from her to us smiling and nodding his head. 

“Come on, I'll show you upstairs before we go down to the basement and start working,” Riley says to me, opening the frosted doors.

Upstairs, we look through a small window in a door and find a room full of desks and chairs. About ten men and women sit there watching Bree as she points at something written on the blackboard. 

Next is a larger room, smelling of sweat with folding seats up against one wall, folded gym mats along another and a table with a large CD-player on along the last. At the door, there is a sheet with a schedule on it. I can tell this is a room were a lot of different things happen, exercise for the elderly and for pregnancy, dancing lessons and self defense classes for girls and women among other things. 

“Victoria instruct several of these classes,” Riley explains to me.

There are other rooms too, but Riley takes my hand, pulling me after him down the stairs. “You'll get to check out the rest some other time, now I want to show you my second home.” He's so enthusiastic; his eyes are sparkling like he's going to show me the shiny new toy he got for Christmas. 

“Okay,” I laugh following him down the stairs to the basement. I'm getting a bit exited to see where the magic happens, even if I have seen the inside of plenty of band rehearsal rooms before. I realize it's because of Riley and his love for this place that makes this different to me. 

I can see the door is open when I'm on the last step. Walking inside, I look around the open space. To my left is a refrigerator and a table with a coffeemaker and beside it different music equipment is stacked along the wall. This place smells good, like coffee, it's warm and dry, not like a random basement, but like a place where the ventilation is important. I see a corridor ahead of me with doors on both sides and I guess they are the rehearsal rooms. 

“Come in here and listen to this for a bit,” Riley says. He's sitting in a comfortable chair using his legs to swing it around and holding a set of ear phones out to me. There is a glass wall before him, with one door letting me see the entire studio including a big mixer. It looks expensive. Behind the mixer is a big glass wall dividing the room in two. Through the glass, I can see a variety of microphones, instruments and cables.

I listen to the music for a little bit and he tells me about this punk band he works with at the moment. 

“They wanted their recording to be live, so they stuffed that little room full of equipment and all the band members at once. It was quite funny to watch, but the effect was great for their sound. I'm going to work on this tonight for a while. I don't have anyone scheduled in the studio, I just have to be here supervising when the different bands come and go to the rooms down the hall.”

We sit and talk music for a while as he works and people come and go. His eyes are on me constantly and I don't know if he gets much done with mixing the sound. He tells me about his nerdy boss Garrett at the Indy music store he works five days a week. Garrett comes and goes as he pleases and frequently plays his favorite music loudly to prevent the customers asking stupid questions. He only wants customers who know what they want to buy, and he has no interest in other people's taste in music. If he hears a customer ask if a record is any good, his face turns purple before he barks: “What the hell? Of course, it's great! Why do you think I'm selling it in MY store?”

We laugh at his arrogance, at him thinking his taste in music is the rule. Riley tells me Garrett refuses to wear band t-shirts or the 'right' clothes, as he knows he's cool and everybody else should know that too without him having to advertise it. Despite his ridicule of his boss, I can tell he has a lot of respect for him and I don't ask him anymore than he easily shares with me. 

As we laugh, I see his eyes linger on my mouth, and he suddenly looks very serious. “Jasper, will you please take me back to your cottage tonight?”

A few seconds passes, it feels almost like electricity between us and there is no doubt in my mind. “Yes, I would very much like you to come home with me.”

Normally he would sit a bit longer, mixing sound until he's satisfied with his nights work, but tonight he finishes his work as quickly as he can when the center closes at 10 pm and the rehearsal rooms aren't available for the bands anymore. He takes my hand after he's turned off all the lights and we say goodbye to Mrs. Cope. 

– O – 

 

“Hey, Edward! Nice to see you again!” Riley scratches Edward's back enthusiastically when he come to meet us at the door. I'm glad to see that they seem to like each other. Riley looks up at me and catches me staring at him. 

He straightens up and walks to me, cupping my cheek he whispers, “Can I kiss you now?”

My voice is barely a whisper as I breathe out, “Yes, please.” His soft lips are on mine instantly, his hand in my hair pulling me towards him. His tongue is in my mouth, my hands on his back. His skin feels so smooth and warm under my hands, roaming around up to his neck. He lifts his arms so that I can pull off his t-shirt. Mine follows his on the floor and our chests are pressed together. We both moan into each other's mouths when I squeeze his ass through his pants, pressing our hard cocks against each other. 

“I've thought about you all summer,” he says as he kisses my neck. “I want you so much.”

My chest is heaving. His hot breath and lips feels so good on my skin. “How do you want me?” I ask him. This is completely up to him, I want him anyway I can.

He looks up at me, his eyes darker than ever, his cheeks and chest are flushed; I have to feel the heat under my hands. 

I see him swallow hard. What is he thinking about? “Ry, tell me what you want and I'll give it to you,” I plead him. 

“Can I be on top?” His voice is so unsure, not confident like how he talked at the center. 

“It's been a very long time since I had someone inside of me, but if that's what you want, then we'll do it,” I tell him. 

“No, I mean can I sit on top of you?” His eyes are shining up at me. “I like having you in me, but I'd like to try it that way, with me setting the pace. I've been thinking about it all summer. When the others went to their rooms for the night, I would lie there all alone and that's what I would think about.”

“Oh, God, Riley.” I moan, “Yes, I'd like that!”

“Come here then,” he's breathless and suddenly we're in a hurry to get out of our pants and underwear. 

I have lube and condoms ready for us this time and place them next to us before I sit down at the bed. He stands before me with his dick swollen and red pointing towards me. Lubing up my fingers, I tell him to place one foot on my bed. There is a drop at the tip that's threatening to drip down on my leg and I can't let it go to waste. Leaning in, I lick it up, moaning at his taste as I stare up at his huge eyes. 

I lick and suck him as I prepare his warm hole for me. The noises he's making go straight to my dick.

When he tells me he's ready, I sigh in relief. He crawls up on the bed over me, placing a condom on my cock. I'm so hard for him and can't wait much longer to help him fulfill his fantasy. 

He places his hands on the wall at either side of my head and as I hold my dick in place, he slowly sits down on me. He lifts himself up and sinks down a few times, as I loosely hold onto his hips and stare into his face. 

“Oh, fuck yeah, Ry, you're so tight squeezing my dick like that,” I moan. 

His pace speeds up at my words and soon he's riding me hard, his heavy dick slapping against his stomach every time he sits down. I do my best to meet his thrusts, but my thighs are shaking and I don't have a good enough grip with my feet to help much. He's more than willing to do most of the work though. 

He throws his head back, grunting and moaning, his hair hanging loose behind him. It's so long; it's almost down to my thighs in this position. I loosely pull it, making him grunt deep in his throat. 

I'm helpless to hold back when my balls tighten, my orgasm washing over me without any control on my part, hitting me hard as he continues to ride me. I lay my hand on his shoulder to stop him and he leans down and kisses me sloppily. 

I try to get up and he lifts himself off me, sitting down on the bed as I turn and push him backwards so he lands with a thump. I grip my softening dick, pull of the condom, tying a knot on it, and throwing it aside. 

Ry doesn't say anything to me about hurrying up, even if I can tell he's desperate to come. His sweaty body is trembling before me, his eyes black with need.

Dragging his knees to me, his ass is right in front of me and I don't waste any time taking his needy dick into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the head before taking him deep into my mouth and sucking him hard. His asshole is slippery from lube, making it easy for me to fill him with three fingers at once. 

He moans and grunts when I curl my fingers up against his stomach, pushing them hard in and out. It takes only a minute before I taste his come and I swallow it all down. I lay on top of him, kissing him deeply between his pants, letting him taste himself on me. 

His eyes sparkle at me, making it unnecessary to ask him how it was.

– O – 

I wake up to the sound of seagulls and Edward licking my chin. 

“Yeah, I'm up." Edward probably wants to take our morning walk on the beach.

Suddenly remembering what happened the night before, I open my eyes. There is no one else in the little room. Jumping out of bed, my stomach sinks when I realize that he's left me again and I angrily slam my fist into the table. 

Suddenly the bathroom door opens and a startled Riley comes out. “What was that sound?” 

I can't help but laugh in relief and sit down on the bed shaking my head.

“Do you want to take a walk on the beach with Edward and me before we eat breakfast?” I ask him. 

He holds my hand as we follow Edward down the stairs to the beach where the sun is shining and Edward is already chasing the seagulls, barking happily around us. 

– O – 

Visiting him at the center three months later, I find him sitting with his face in his hands with a few boxes and bags around his feet.

I carefully put my hand on his shoulder. “Ry, what's happened to you?” I ask him softly.

“The police finally came this morning at 5 am and kicked us out. We got an hour to pack our belongings and now I don't know what to do. Mrs. Cope has offered for me to crash in her spare bedroom until I find somewhere else, but I guess since we have lived in our apartment for so long, I've got used to the place. It felt like home and it's a bit sad to know what will happen to it now.

We've become close over these months; he's easy to love. I've taken him with me to meet my parents for Sunday dinner and he's been with me to help Carlisle and Esme with all the things the moving agency didn't do for them when they moved from their house to the apartment. Esme's showed me Riley's note that was found under her piano.

He's stayed many nights with me in my apartment after I finally moved into it.

It doesn't take me long to make up my mind. “Riley, do you want to move in with Edward and me?” I ask him hopefully, stroking his soft, long hair.

– O – 

 

“We mustn't be late today of all days,” he reminds me.

Today is Christmas morning and we're volunteering at the culture center all day. We have to be there when it opens at noon along with the other volunteers.

Diego is in charge of our Christmas dinner. He's been working on it for a couple of days already. During last month, his vegetarian cooking classes at the center have been about making Christmas dinner or food for special occasions. From these classes he's recruited several volunteers to help him out. James is in charge of organizing games and entertainment for the kids tonight. Victoria, Bree, Riley and I will be helping out where it's needed. When the guests come, we're going to help them find a place to sit. We'll be mingling and do our best to make this a nice day for everybody.

We don't know yet how many will show up; there has been a list where people could sign up in the reception for a few weeks now. Yesterday, there were about 150 people on it, consisting of single mothers or fathers with their kids, elderly people without families, and people with very little money that will come here for a nice free dinner. It can be difficult to get people to sign up because there are a lot who will come only if they have a good day or some if they have a bad day.

When Riley told me he was going to work here on Christmas day, I knew immediately that I wanted to help out too. Usually I go to my parents house, but this year I've asked them to come to the center. They have a car and volunteered to pick up Esme and Carlisle on their way. We have agreed to not give each other Christmas presents, but instead donate presents or money to the center. There is a long tradition here to pack boxes with food and other Christmas necessities and give them out to families that need it.

I think this is going to be a great way to spend Christmas, help others while I get to spend the evening with my family and friends, but most importantly with my boyfriend for the last four months.


End file.
